2014 Volkswagen Junior Masters Soccer Program Kicks Off Across the Nation

Ten Regional Tournaments Will Be Held With Winning Teams Advancing to the U-12 Boys National Championship in Portland, Oregon

HERNDON, VA--(Marketwired - Apr 23, 2014) - Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today the start of the Volkswagen Junior Masters Soccer program for 2014. U-12 boys teams in ten markets across the country will compete in regional tournaments between April and June for a chance to contend in the national tournament in Portland on August 4-6. The national tournament will be played in conjunction with the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star match on August 6.

Nine of this year's ten participating regional tournament markets have been confirmed. A tenth market will be announced in the coming weeks.

Chicago: April 26-28

Los Angeles: May 3-4

Atlanta: May 16-18

Boston: May 23-27

San Antonio: May 24-25

Denver: May 31-June 1

Seattle: June 13-15

Portland: June 27-29

Philadelphia: June 28-29

"Volkswagen is a devoted supporter of American soccer and has sponsored many grassroots youth soccer tournaments throughout the United States," said Vinay Shahani, vice president marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Through these efforts, Volkswagen is providing the nation's most talented and passionate athletes the premier opportunity to compete and perform at a higher level."

John Harkes, former professional soccer player and member of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, will serve as the spokesperson for Volkswagen Junior Masters. He'll be traveling to regional and national tournaments in his 2014 Touareg to host activities, meet the teams and, ultimately, crown the National Champions.

Additionally, the 2013 Junior Masters National Champions, SoCal United, will head to Rome, Italy, this May to compete in the Volkswagen Junior World Masters. The team will compete against 25 other national teams in the biennial international tournament that has taken place since 2006. Last summer, SoCal United was named the 2013 Volkswagen Junior Masters National Champions after defeating 15 other U-12 boys division teams in Overland Park, Kan.

Volkswagen is also the official automotive partner of Major League Soccer in the U.S. Globally, Volkswagen is the title sponsor of the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, Germany, and owns the VfL Wolfsburg football club at its global headquarters.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc. Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Eos, Golf, Golf R, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, and Touareg vehicles through approximately 644 independent U.S. dealers.